Chapter 14 #2
He eventually stumbled near the kingdom in Southern California, and other werewolves recognized him for who he was. They brought him to Dad, and Hayden was given shelter and started training with the other warriors.
Dad said Hayden was an exceptional fighter, advancing much faster than anyone else. At nineteen, he surpassed anyone’s expectations, and he fully gained Dad’s trust to make him my bodyguard when I was attacked by vampires a year later.
TEN YEARS AGO--brEANNA 15, LAYLA 15, HAYDEN 20, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
My cousin bowed one more time to Dad, who sat at the table in his boardroom. His all-Alpha’s meeting was about to begin—something Layla knew about but tactfully ignored.
“But Uncle Brendan,” Layla said in her sickly sweet voice, and I faked a gag, at which Dad sent me a stern look, “we won’t take much time. I thought it would be great for Breanna if she got outside more. She’s been working so hard at school—”
I snorted, and my dad narrowed his eyes at me. Except for the King’s stubbornness, I inherited nothing else from my father. Not his height. Not his strong, muscular frame. No, I was short, probably already full-grown at fifteen at my five feet four inches.
His raven hair was in direct contrast to Mom’s light blonde. I blew a lock of brown hair that had fallen over my eyes. My ponytail was anything but perfect—a requirement for a princess. As usual, the maids who chased me to brush my hair were too slow to catch me.
I tuned out Layla’s voice—it rang in my ears like a hammer hitting nailheads. She was going to give me a headache.
Dad wouldn’t let me go out to the human town, even if it was near our territory. To the west of the kingdom, Los Angeles sprawled to the horizon, and on the opposite side, inland, there were small towns tucked in between rolling hills and lush vegetation.
Our enemies hid in the dark, and Dad’s warriors couldn’t check on all the shadows in the forest.
“Breanna needs new clothes.” Layla’s voice echoed in the large room, and I snapped my eyes to hers.
She was a first-class manipulator and had my family wrapped around her finger. My dad loved her as his own child. Just like me, she was the only daughter of his younger brother—Uncle Derek.
I was sure Dad felt guilty and responsible for what had transpired six years ago when Layla lost her father. I rubbed the spot over my heart as if that could ease the tightness there.
Layla was also fifteen but looked older than me when she applied eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow. She dressed like a princess and was used to going on shopping trips once a week. Who needed so many clothes when it made deciding on what to wear so much harder?
“Okay,” my dad said, and I froze.
Did Dad just agree to let me go with her to the human flower festival? I wanted to go, not with Layla, but if that was the only way…
“But take four guards with you, Layla.”
“Yes, Uncle Brendan.” Layla all but skipped to my dad and hugged him.
He smiled at her antics, but I knew her better. She’d do anything to get what she wanted.
I couldn’t understand why I had to go with her. We didn’t exactly have the best relationship. I kept silent when she was unreasonable and manipulative because I felt bad about what happened to her dad.
It was my fault, after all. We all walked on eggshells around her.
She passed by me, swaying her hips as if she were on the runway, and flipped her long blonde hair, slapping me in the face with it. She was so childish that if I had to fight with her during training, I’d lose because my dad had her back and would appease her just so that there was peace.
Our bickering was not welcome in front of my dad, who had more serious things to deal with than two angry teenage girls. Dad thought we didn’t like each other because we were hormonal, because it was just a stage.
But it wasn’t. I didn’t like Layla, but Layla hated me with everything she had.
I sighed and followed her to the SUV. She and I sat in the back, and two of Dad’s guards climbed into the front seats. Layla pulled on her seat belt and clicked on the buckle. I did the same, but when I lifted my gaze, she was scowling at me.
“What now?”
“You should have your seat belt on, Breanna, because you’re human and fragile.”
She always bullied me when we were not around our royal family.
Our driver gave me a strange look in the rearview mirror, but it wasn’t like he was going to defend me and go against the second princess in the kingdom.
Layla was also a princess, but she would never be the Queen.
Unless I died or refused the throne. She had already let me know it bothered her to have a human Queen.
“Layla, I really don’t want to fight with you today. Let’s just go to the festival in peace.”
Dad and Mom worried when I stepped out of the kingdom, and for the most part, I was sheltered. I was excited to see the town, though, even if it meant going there with my cousin.
Two more guards got into a second SUV in front of us, and we drove in silence until we left the kingdom and were on the two-lane freeway leading to the closest small town.
We had only driven for no longer than ten minutes when the two men in the front cursed before something hit the car hard.
We swerved so fast that everything out the window blurred.
The second hit made the car flip and land on its roof.
My head hit the side window, and everything went dark.
I must have passed out only for a moment, because when I reopened my eyes, I saw four men fighting our guards.
Although I watched them upside down, only held by my seat belt, I could feel their supernatural presence.
Their eyes changed to red, and their fangs were elongated. Grunts and flesh hitting flesh echoed around me, and I blinked repeatedly to make sense of the situation.
Vampires had attacked us so close to home and exactly at the right time. Strange.
I looked over to Layla, who fumbled with her seat belt. Blood rushed to my head, starting a throbbing headache. Layla yelped and fell to the ground on her back. Without sparing a glance, she started kicking the car door.
“Layla, wait…I’ll help you,” I said and worked faster on the belt’s metal buckle.
At the last moment, I put my hands above my head to make the fall less painful. The door to Layla’s side was open, and she’d already crawled out. I climbed out of the car on all fours. Small pieces of broken glass dug into my knees and hands. Once I was free of the car, I stood.
I gasped as my gaze fell on an unmoving body on the ground—our driver’s. And staring down at it was a tall vampire. Another guard, who must have seen his friend dying, sprinted toward the vampire and leaped into the air, starting his instant transformation into a wolf.
Dad’s warriors were trained to shift in mere seconds. But what the werewolf didn’t realize was that another vampire was nearby. From the side, he tackled the wolf to the ground.
They both fell and rolled a few times until the vampire was on the back of the large brown wolf.
Strong vampire arms wrapped around the wolf’s neck.
The vampire lowered his head to the wolf’s throat and sank his fangs into flesh.
A dreadful howl boomed through the forest. After a moment, the vampire snapped the wolf’s neck, putting a stop to his painful whimpering.
I shook my head in a slow, back-and-forth sweep of denial. And then I screamed. I clamped a hand across my mouth and applied pressure, but it was too late.
The vampire’s red eyes set intently on me. He wiped his bloody mouth with the back of his hand, smearing the blood on his jaw. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a horror movie.
“That must be the beloved princess.” His fangs appeared to grow longer. “Come to me.” He knew who I was, and that wasn't good. He extended his arm, beckoning me with an alluring grin. I shivered. Had he unleashed his compulsion power on me?